Wait Until You See It

Posted 21 September 2015 9:42 AM by TCAuthor3

Sunrise over ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano on opening day

Four short years ago, I started meeting with hundreds of people from all walks of life to share ideas about designing our new Shawano hospital, all the way from ambulance garages to artwork. We understood this to be our opportunity to build a modern medical center that also communicated who we are as a diverse and vibrant community. Then came the foundation’s fundraising efforts that were nothing short of phenomenal. The construction crews from Boldt were always professional craftsmen of the highest order. Some of my days sped from early-morning coffee to late-night leftovers eaten at the refrigerator door, and I was left wondering, “How did my day go so fast? What did I achieve? What do I tackle tomorrow?”

Sacredness exists in a person’s life no matter his or her religious or cultural upbringing. The sacred, that which is deserving of respect and honor, can be found in the powerful half-seconds of joy and peace that take one’s breath away. Like a tiny, tiny new baby and her brave, strong mother. The heart-to-heart exchange between two people before a person is gone forever. An awakening from surgery, the hardest part over.

We’ve planned for years to create a new space for these seconds of sacredness, of deep connections between people who belong to each other. Our job now is to do our work in a manner that honors the reasons we created it—to help and heal with more comfort and convenience; to care with compassion and flexibility; and to invest wisely in the future of our community.

Wait until you see it. Our new hospital, and all it stands for, will take your breath away.